The castle in Bauska is one of the youngest, built already in the days of firearms. One of the most powerful. It is also peculiar in that, in fact, these are two very different, but connected castles.
Myths and facts
In 1410, the Teutonic Order suffered a crushing defeat at Grunwald. This was not enough for the monk-knights. The Landmaster of Livonia, Frank von Kirskoff, got involved in the struggle between the contenders for the throne of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Svidrigailo Olgerdovich and Sigismund Keistutovich.
In 1435, in the battle of Wilkomir, von Kirskoff and his ally Svidrigailo were completely defeated.
As a result - a fatally weakened Livonia with a now very hostile neighbor in the south -.
Lithuanians, they did not disdain, according to the gentlemanly rules of a medieval war, to plunder and destroy the lands of a weakened neighbor, especially an enemy of the Grand Duke. Somehow it was necessary to keep the defense.
In 1443, the new landmaster of Livonia, Heinrich Fincke von Overberg, ordered the construction of a new one at the nodal point, where the Musa and Memele rivers merge, near the Lithuanian border.
True, there was no one to build, in these places because of border conflicts and the devastation accompanying them was practically without a population.
Order brothers raided the territory of the Novgorod Republic, captured many prisoners near the city of Yam, and it was they who were forced to build Bausk Castle. By nationality, most of the captives were not Russians, but Vod, Finno-Ugric peoples.
The construction of the castle was completed in 1451.
Bausk Castle during the confrontation with Lithuania was the key point of defense against the Lithuanian detachments infiltrated into Livonia. In peacetime, due to its location, it controlled an important trade route.
In 1561, the Livonian landmaster of the Teutonic Order was finally defeated, part, about half, of its former possessions became the Duchy of Courland and Semigalle. The first duke (and last landmaster of Livonia) Gotthard Kettler made Bausk one of his two capitals (the other being Mitava). In 1582, Kettler - well, he wanted to live more comfortably - began the construction of the New Castle. The construction of the new part of the castle was completed only in 1596, already under the heirs of Gotthard, Friedrich and Wilhelm Kettler.
Already in the 17th century, Bausk was besieged several times and twice taken by the enemy. True, there were no assaults. In 1625 King Gustav Adolf of Sweden captured the castle thanks to the betrayal of one of the burghers. And in 1628, already the Polish commander Alexander Gonsevsky offered the Swedish garrison very favorable conditions for surrender.
In 1658 Jacob, Duke of Courland and Semigallia, was captured by the Swedes and was forced to transfer part of his lands to them, including Bausk. The Poles approached the castle several times, but could not capture it. However, soon, in 1660, the castle was returned to the Duke of Courland under the terms of the Peace of Oliva.
Bausk saw a real assault according to all the rules only in 1701. The castle was taken over by King Charles XII of Sweden.
However, already in 1705, the Swedish garrison surrendered Bauska without a fight by the Russian army.
Peter I ordered the castle to be destroyed so that the Swedes would not use it in the future. But it is easier to order than to do, something was destroyed, but the main fortifications remained.
Of course, what we see now - the ducal part of the castle, like new - is still the result of restoration.
There are many legends about Bauska Castle, with different variations. Basically, with a female bias - either the witch who led the defense of the castle, or the princess who died while trying to escape from the besieged castle.
Treasures are kept in the cellars of the castle. At least, so much that you can build another such castle. But you can’t get to them - the deceased princess wanders there with her ladies-in-waiting and completely extinguishes all the torches and candles.
The master who once built the castle climbs the main tower every night and tries to restore it to its original form.
Two guards who once guarded the castle bridge, missed the enemy’s advance and were executed for negligence, also try every night to correct the mistake and cut the bridge. True, so far to no avail.
What to watch
The old part of the castle - access to the top is open main tower. From there - very beautiful views. Among other things, you can see three rivers at once - not far from the castle, Musa and Memele merge together, and the Lielupe is born.
In the new part of the castle there is a historical museum, you can also get into the chambers of the duke and duchess, however, they are unfurnished.
Bauska Castle (Bauskas pils) is open from May 1 to October 31 daily from 9.00 to 18.00, only the museum is open in winter.
Cost: €5, tower €1.5.
How to get there: by bus from Riga (69 km).
Bauska is located 66 kilometers south of Riga at the confluence of the fast Musa and Memele rivers into the Lielupe River. The Livonian War (1558-1583), the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), the Northern War (1700-1721), the plague of 1711, Napoleon's campaign of 1812 left their mark on the history of the city.
Bauska - it is a small, clean and cozy city. There are very few large buildings in this city, mostly small pleasant houses.
Bauska was founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1443 and became a town in 1511. He received full city rights in 1609. Bauska Castle was founded in 1456 by the Landmaster of the German Order in Livonia, John von Mengede (also called Busche, Buschenborg and Bauskenburg). In 1625 the castle was taken by the Swedes, during Northern War in 1705 - by Russians. The ruins of the castle have been preserved, and in recent years part of it has been restored.
Bauska Castle (Bauskas pils) can be divided into two parts: old and new. The old part of the castle has been preserved mainly in ruins and is the remains of a military fortress of the Livonian Order of the 15th century. The newer part was at one time the residence of the Ketler dukes of Courland. During its long history, the castle was captured and robbed more than once, until finally in 1706, by order of Peter the Great, the castle's security structures were completely destroyed. After that, no one lived in the castle, and locals pulled apart the rest brick by brick.
The old castle - the walls are old, the ruins, specially fortified with a den, you can climb to the very top, the entrance to it is 1 lat. *** Website http://www.bauskaspils.lv/ru/news
When the Bauska Castle was being built, one corner could not be folded in any way: what they put in a bucket collapses in bad weather. Someone said that the devil has settled in the castle and requires a living soul. The masons decided to immure into the wall the one who will be the first to pass by the castle in the morning. In the morning, the hostess walked past the castle - to Bausk for shopping, and a dog ran ahead of her. Here the masons walled up the dog. The devil was very angry: he thought that they were laughing at him - they gave a dog's soul instead of a human one. The devil immediately jumped out of the castle wall and disappeared. Since then, this corner has not collapsed anymore, because the devil has fled from there. But at night, the mournful howl of a dog is heard within the walls of the castle. With the disappearance of the devil, a saying was born, it is in use in the Bauska district: "Disappeared like a Bauska devil"!
Many legends are connected with the Bauska Castle, that the ghost of the leader of the construction works of the old, Livonian castle, who was killed in the middle of the 15th century, walks around the castle. And in the dungeon of the fortress, the treasures of local nobles and the golden carriage of the Dukes of Courland are still hidden.
How to get there: bus from Riga to Bauska. Travel time 1 hour 15 minutes. The price of one ticket is 3 euros.
Ticket to Bauska Castle:€5.00 in summer, €4.00 in winter.
Time to visit Bauska Castle: can be found on the website bauskaspils.lv
Food: there is a restaurant in the castle.
So, we arrived in Bauska. Let's first go to the City Hall. We go from the bus station along Zaļa street to the right side to the roundabout, and then along Kalna street. Here is the Town Hall!
In 1609 Bauska acquired the status of a city. AT mid-seventeenth century, the City Hall was built. It was the largest and most luxurious in the Duchy of Courland and Semigalle. However, in the 19th century, the dilapidated tower and the second floor were demolished. In 2011, the City Hall building was reconstructed. Pay attention to the drinking fountain with the image of the head of a lion.
Currently, the Town Hall houses the Tourist Information Center, where you can get a map of the city and tourist booklets free of charge. The exhibition "Weights and Measures" is also located here. After all, once in city halls, visiting merchants weighed their goods and paid a fee to the city:
Bauska is beautiful and clean city. There are many flower beds here:
We return to the roundabout, and then along Uzvaras street we head towards the Bauska Castle. On the way we see Orthodox Church St. George the Victorious. It was built in 1881 according to the design of the Latvian architect J.F. Baumanis:
So, we are approaching the goal of our journey - to the Bauska Castle. It is located on a high long hill between two rivers. The Memele River flows on one side, and the Musa River on the other, they go around the hill, and then merge together, forming the Lielupe River. Strategically, it was a very convenient place to build a castle, because the rivers served as a barrier to enemies.
The castle consists of two parts - the Old Castle (a fortress of the Livonian Order, built in the 15th century) and the New Castle (built at the end of the 16th century). The new castle is almost snow-white, it is decorated with diamond rustication:
But upon closer inspection, we see that these stones are painted on the wall! This technique is called "sgraffito" ("scratched"). A layer of plaster is applied, and a second layer of plaster of a different color is applied on top. Then the top layer is scratched with tools to the bottom layer to form a pattern. Here this drawing imitates the shadow from the stones:
We enter the courtyard through a powerful gate ...
In the courtyard we see both the old and the new parts of the castle:
Museum staff dressed in medieval costumes:
First we head to the Old Castle. It was built by the Livonian Order in the middle of the 15th century on the site of an ancient fortified settlement of the Balts:
The fortress was built in the form of an irregular quadrangle and had 5 defensive towers. Inside the tower:
You can climb the stairs to the upper floors of the tower:
And now let's get acquainted with the New Castle. At the end of the 16th century, after the defeat of the Livonian Order, most of the territory of Livonia passed to the Commonwealth. The last master of the Livonian Order, Gotthard Kettler, founded the Duchy of Courland and Semigalle and decided to build a residence for his court and office in the old Bauska fortress. Construction work was completed in 1596. After the death of Gotthard Kettler, the duchy was divided between his sons into two parts, and the ducal court left Bauska. Mitava (now Jelgava) became the capital of Semigallia, and Goldingen (now Kuldiga) became the capital of Courland.
The Ducal Palace was built in the Mannerist style. An external stone staircase leads to the festive hall, which is located on the second floor:
Entrance door on the second floor. Lions are depicted on both sides of the door. On the left is the date of construction "ANNO 1596", and on the right is the date of renovation "RENOV 2012". Diamond rustic sgraffito plaster creates an illusory impression of square masonry, characteristic of the Italian Renaissance and Mannerism:
The ducal apartments are located on the second floor. The rooms are located one after the other, i.е. in the form of an enfilade. The floor covered with polychrome glazed ceramic tiles was reconstructed, as well as several stoves. The premises once had 17 tiled stoves and 14 fireplaces. On the ground floor, below the ducal apartments, there was a vaulted ceiling capable of supporting the heavy weight of the ceramic floor and stoves.
Windows in lead frames form a geometric pattern:
Wall chandelier in the form of a hand:
Table and chairs:
The castle has several permanent exhibitions. This is the exhibition "Bauska Castle - a military fortification":
Exhibition "Clothing and Jewelry in the Duchy of Courland 1562-1620". Here you can see the luxurious outfits of ladies and gentlemen:
Coat of arms of the Duchies of Courland and Semigalle during the Ketler period. In the center of the coat of arms is a knight's shield, divided into four parts. In them we see red lions, symbolizing Courland, and deer, symbolizing Semigallia. In the center of the shield there is a small shield depicting a hook for hanging boilers (a triangle with teeth), this is the Ketler family coat of arms. Above the shield are three knightly helmets in crowns. On the left and right are decorative branches - in heraldry they are called "lambrequin", or "bastard". During crusades in Palestine, the knights covered their helmets with pieces of cloth to protect themselves from the scorching sun. During the battles, this fabric was torn to tatters. In the future, they began to depict it on coats of arms, stylizing it as branches and leaves.
Bauska Castle hosts various events, including medieval music and dance concerts. The program of events can be found on the Bauska Castle website bauskaspils.lv. I wanted to attend a fencing tournament, so I came on that day.
Herold announces who will participate in the tournament today. Pay attention - the red Courland lion is depicted on the clothes of the herald:
I hoped that the participants of the tournament would be in ancient costumes. But it turned out that this is a modern tournament. Athletes from different countries:
The tournament is watched by ladies in ancient dresses and the duke:
Basic moments
During the late Renaissance, the Dukes of Courland Friedrich and Gotthard Kettler rebuilt the castle into a fortified palace residence. To protect against a possible enemy, they surrounded the fortress with ramparts and bastions.
Bauska Castle experienced the first real assault in 1701. He was taken with a fight by the troops of the Swedish king Charles XII. A few years later, the fortress was captured by the Russians. Tsar Peter I ordered the destruction of the fortifications so that opponents could not use them, and the main part of the castle was destroyed. For a long time, local residents used stones for construction purposes, but in the 1970s, large-scale restoration work was carried out in the fortress and a museum was set up in it.
Today, only ruins remain of the first Livonian castle. These are the ruins of strong fortress walls, which at one time could withstand cannon fire. A collection of old cannons is exhibited here. The large tower of the old castle serves as an excellent observation deck. It offers a view of the picturesque landscapes of Zemgale and the confluence of the rivers Musa and Memele.
In addition to excursions around the Bauska Castle, exhibitions and concerts are held in the fortress. During the master classes, visitors can learn the court dances of the Renaissance, learn about the outfits worn in the Duchy of Courland, as well as about the court traditions of the late 16th - early XVII century.
Every year in the middle of summer, Bauska Castle hosts the popular music and art festival “Vivat Curlandia!”. Musicians from Italy, France, Spain, Austria and the Baltic countries come to it and perform works by composers of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, as well as the old opera Eurydice, for the audience.
Architectural Features
The old Bauska castle was distinguished by an unusual layout. The ruins of the Livonian castle are 124 by 43 m in size. In former times, five towers rose along the perimeter of its walls. It is noteworthy that they did not stand in the corners, but in the middle of the walls.
The sections of the walls that were exposed to the greatest threat, the Livonian knights made twice as thick as the walls that closed safe directions. The average thickness of the walls was 1.7 m, but on the south side the fortress walls reached 3.6 m. During the time of the Livonian Order, a powerful quadrangular tower stood here, where cannons were stored.
More modern part Bauska Castle, which was the residence of the Duke of Courland and Semigallia Gotthard Kettler, is well preserved. It was built from 1582 to 1596. Today, this castle-palace is the only monument in Latvia built in the Mannerist style with elements of decorative and applied art, common in the Duchy of Courland.
The modern castle has been beautifully restored both outside and inside. The graceful ducal palace clearly contrasts with the old red-brick ruins of the Livonian castle, but despite this, it forms a harmonious architectural ensemble with them.
Interiors and park
Inside the new part of the Bauska Castle, several halls decorated in the traditions of the Renaissance and Revival have been restored by the restorers. Here are exhibits of the museum, which tells what the Duchy of Courland and its rulers were like. In the museum halls you can see knightly armor, weapons, pieces of furniture, old books, chests, a tiled stove and kitchen utensils. It is curious that even the windows of the castle were recreated according to centuries-old technologies, and exact copies of old dresses were sewn in the workshop of the Riga Theater.
There is a picturesque park area near the Bauska Castle. After visiting the fortress, tourists can walk along the promenade through the park stretched from east to west, go to the island and visit the place where the Lielupe River begins.
Information for visitors
The ancient fortress is open to tourists on all days except Monday: from May to September - from 9.00 to 19.00, in October - from 9.00 to 18.00, and from November to April - from 11.00 to 17.00. You can travel around the territory of Bauska Castle on your own or with a guide. Tours of the fortress are conducted in Latvian, English, German and Russian. Audio guides cost 1.50 €, but there are no audio guides in Russian. For the opportunity to take a photo with a camera, you need to pay 1.50 €, but there is no fee for taking pictures with a phone.
From May to October, the entrance ticket for adults costs 5 €, for students and schoolchildren - 2.50 €. In the low season, from November to April, the price is reduced. A ticket for adults costs 4 €, and for students and schoolchildren - 2 €. Families with children are offered reduced tickets costing from 5 to 8 €. Children under the age of 7 are admitted free of charge.
If tourists want to see only exhibitions on the history of Bauska Castle, they must pay 2 € for adults and 1 € for students and schoolchildren. The ruins of the fortress of the Livonian Order with an observation deck are open from May to October. Entrance here costs 1.50 € for adults and 0.70 € for students and schoolchildren. It should be borne in mind that tickets are sold 30 minutes before closing only for viewing the ruins of the Old Castle and for observation deck.
Visitors over 16 can try their hand at crossbow shooting. For three shots you need to pay 1.50 €. There is a cafe at the Bauska Castle where you can relax and eat inexpensively. Until 14.00 they serve set meals for 4.50 €. Parking for visitors is free.
How to get there
Bauska Castle rises near the confluence of the Musa and Memele rivers. There are regular buses from Riga to the city of Bauska. They cover a distance of 69 km in 1 hour and 15 minutes.
At the confluence of the two Latvian rivers Memeles and Musas in the city of Bauska, the famous Bauska Castle is located. This fortification was erected in the fifteenth century. According to many historians, the castle was built already in 1451. Nearby a small settlement arose, in which mainly fishermen and artisans lived. Subsequently, this settlement became known as "Vairogmiests". It housed a school and even a church.
The first chronicle mention of the castle dates back to 1518. According to linguists, the name Bauska could come from two similar words - bauska, which literally translates as "bad meadow", or bauze, which literally means "hill top".
In 1559, together with a part of other lands, the Bauska zamol was transferred to the possession of Poland for some time. This was due to the fact that it was the Poles who helped the Livonian Order in its fight against Russia. The lands were given as a kind of payment for help. In 1562 Livonian Order fell. The last master of the Order, whose name was Gotthard Ktler. He swore allegiance to the king of Poland, Sigismund II Augustus, after which he received the title of duke, and with it the Zemgale and Kurzeme lands. In the same year, the Bauska Castle was transferred to his ownership.
In 1582, when the Livonian War ended, the construction of a new castle in Bauska began. It lasted fourteen years and was completed in 1596, as evidenced by a tablet found by archaeologists. in the same year, according to Kettler's will, his lands were divided between his sons named Friedrich and Wilhelm. Friedrich soon moved to Jelgava. In 1609, Buasca was recognized as a city, since Frederick granted the settlement a coat of arms, which depicted a lion.
In 1621 a war broke out between the Poles and the Swedes. At that time, Duke Friedrich lived precisely in the Buask castle, since both Jelgava and Riga were then captured by the Swedes. In 1625, Swedish troops also captured Buaska and stayed here for three years, until 1628. In 1624, Duke Frederick died, after which his nephew named Jacob took his place. In 1658, the castle was again captured by the Swedes, but two years later it returned to the possession of the Poles, after the Peace of Oliva was signed. Enormous funds were spent to restore and repair the castle destroyed by the Swedes.
Half a century later, during another war with the Swedes, in 1701 the castle was captured again. After only five years, almost all the lands of Courland became the possessions of Russian Empire, and ninety years later the duchy became part of Russian territory. In 1812, German troops came to these lands. For several months, both Jelgava and Bauska were under their control. According to their plans, these lands were to become the Duchy of Courland again and join the Prussian territories.
The residence of the Dukes of Courland, which the castle was for a long time, began to be restored only in 1973. Today in the castle you can see the ramparts, as well as castle ruins. Also, all interested visitors can climb to a specially equipped observation deck, which is located in the central castle tower. From this tower you can enjoy a magnificent view of the surrounding area of the castle. In addition to the castle museum, you can also walk with a guide through the ducal residence.
Like most castles, Bauska Castle has its own legends. According to one of them, every night at midnight, a master appears on the castle tower, who once built the walls of the Bauska fortress. The master was buried many centuries ago far from his offspring and his spirit to this day will not rest that the castle was destroyed several times by wars. There is also a legend that at night near the gate you can see the ghosts of two sentries. These sentries, having fallen asleep during their service, overslept the enemy, who was able to get into the walls of the castle and capture it. According to legend, the guards saw the castle bridge at night to prevent the enemy from entering the castle walls.
